“Almost 11 years have passed but the project is yet to be
commissioned. This is pace of development with which successive regimes have
been working on to construct a grid station here. This is very unfortunate that
two governments have been in place in last 11 years but none has been able to
complete and commission this grid station,” said Ali Mohammad Mir, a local resident.

The foundation of
the grid station was laid when the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh approved the
project under PMRP but till date, the grid station is yet to be made
functional.

Locals said that there has been an inordinate delay in the
construction of the grid station owing to the indifference of successive
government s over the years. “It is failure of successive regimes as they have
not been able to commission the project. Similarly, the local district
administration has also failed to take up the issue with the concerned
authorities to make the multi-crore project functional,” the residents said

Though the grid station has been completed and tested, the delay in laying transmission line and
erecting transmission towers has left the project hanging. The grid station has
been constructed to benefit around 110 villages of the district.

However, on February 7, four under-construction transmission
towers of the grid station collapsed due to heavy snowfall.

The collapse led to further delay in commissioning of the
project and raised eye-brows over the quality of work being carried out.
According to details available with Greater Kashmir, the project has two
components viz 50 MVA, 132/33 KV grid station, and 132 KV D.C Transmission
line. The grid station was to be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 18
crores.

The 132 KV DC Transmission line from Badampora, Ganderbal to
Bandipora was to be laid at an estimated cost of around Rs 20 crores.

Earlier, the grid station was to be commissioned in March
2016, later the commissioning date was extended to December 2016 due to some
ROW (Right of Way) issues. In December 2016 also the commissioning of the
project got delayed and till date, the grid station is yet to be commissioned
and made functional.

As already reported by this newspaper, in December last,
then Deputy Commissioner Bandipora Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary had assured that
by the end of December 2018, grid station would be made functional.

On February 27, days
after assuming charge as Deputy Commissioner Bandipora, Shahbaz Ahmad Mirza had
set April 12, 2019 deadline for commissioning of the grid station but a month
has passed since then, grid station is yet to be made functional.

When contacted Chief Engineer System and Operations Wing
PDD, Javid Yousuf said that the grid will be “targeted for completion” within
next two months. “If the contractors won’t be able to do it we will take over
the job by ourselves. We will deploy manpower from our side,” he said.

This site uses cookies to deliver our services and to show you relevant news and ads. By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Cookie Policy, Privacy Policy, and our Terms of Service.That's FinePrivacy policy